Military personnel are issued and wear many different types of clothing items depending upon the actions they are performing, the climate they are working in, and based on various other factors. Such clothing items can include, for instance, pants, shirts, coats, hats, jackets, and the like. The clothing items are intended not only to keep the wearer warm and sheltered from the elements but to also provide protection, especially in combat areas.
In the relatively recent past, the United States military has designed a garment or clothing system that includes multiple articles of clothing and garments. In one embodiment known as the extended cold weather clothing system (abbreviated ECWCS), the garment system includes seven separate layers or “levels” of clothing, wherein each layer and garment is configured to function alone or to be used in conjunction with the other articles of clothing in the system. The clothing system as described above is intended to be used in a broad climate range from very cold temperatures down to −40° F. to higher temperatures of about 60° F. The clothing system is designed such that the wearer can selectively pick and choose which clothing items to don depending upon the environmental conditions.
The extended cold weather clothing system generally includes the following layers or levels:                Level 1: Light-weight undershirt and long underwear        Level 2: Mid-weight shirt and heavier long underwear        Level 3: High-loft fleece jacket        Level 4: Wind jacket designed for wear under body armor        Level 5: Soft shell jacket and trousers providing wind resistance and water resistance        Level 6: Extreme wet/cold weather jacket and trousers having waterproof shell layer        Level 7: Extreme cold weather parka and trousers        
As shown above, certain garments in the above clothing system are designed to be wind resistant and/or water resistant while remaining lightweight, such as the Level 4 layers and the Level 5 layers. In the past, the fabric used to produce the Level 5 articles of clothing comprised a densely woven fabric made of nylon filaments. A silicone coating was also applied to the fabric. Such fabrics have very good wind resistance and water resistance features and are breathable. The fabrics are also lightweight, packable and quiet.
Recently, greater attention has been focused on developing garments for military personnel that have fire resistant properties. The fire resistant properties are intended to protect the wearer when exposed to flash fires. The push to increase the fire resistant properties of clothing worn by military personnel is primarily in response to the various different types of incendiary devices that military personnel may be exposed to in the field.
In the past, in order to produce fabrics having fire resistant properties, the fabrics were typically made from inherently flame resistant fibers. Such fibers, for instance, may comprise aramid fibers such as meta-aramid fibers or para-aramid fibers. Such fibers, for instance, are typically sold under the trade names NOMEX® or KEVLAR® or TVVARON®. The use of inherently flame resistant fibers to produce garments, such as those worn by military personnel, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,770, U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,545, U.S. Pat. No. 6,818,024, U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,883, U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,488 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,867,154 which are all incorporated herein by reference.
Although the use of inherently flame resistant fibers can produce garments having excellent flame resistant properties, the above fibers do have some disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, the fibers are relatively expensive. The fabrics also do not have favorable moisture management properties for many applications. Fabrics made from inherently flame resistant fibers are also difficult to dye and/or print, thus making it difficult to apply a camouflage pattern to the fabrics.
Another drawback to the use of inherently flame resistant fibers is that the fibers are typically produced in staple form and thus are spun into yarns. Spun yarns generally take up greater volume or space at the same weight per unit length as filament yarns. Thus, fabrics made from spun yarns typically do not provide the same wind resistance protection and water resistance protection as fabrics made from nylon filaments as described above. The spun yarns tend to be coarse which result in an open fabric construction.
In view of the above, a need currently exists for a garment that is lightweight, provides wind and water resistance, and also has excellent flame resistant properties.